Black beans, like other varieties of beans, are native to America. These are nutritious and therefore widely used in a variety of foods like soups, salads, bowls, baking products, stews, and numerous dips. However, if you find no black beans for your recipe, then you can also use various black beans substitutes.
Substitute For Black Beans
Here, in this article, we will tell you about all the protein substitutes for black beans in detail. Usually, kidney beans, pinto beans, soybeans, chickpeas, lentils, and peas are widely used instead of black beans.
However, it greatly depends on your recipe that what kind of substitute for black beans will go great. And, to learn about these substitutes for specific recipes, read this article till the end.
Kidney Beans
Kidney beans are nutritious and flavor-rich, like black beans. Therefore, one can replace black beans with kidney beans in different food dishes.
The kidney bean is a versatile kidney-shaped bean with a strong flavor and reddish-brown nature. It is popular in a variety of hot and cold recipes. They grow in many different places and are available as dried or canned. The color of real kidney beans is dark red or brown.
Kidney beans are usually a good diet choice because they do not contain cholesterol. As a source of potassium, they provide nutrients similar to potatoes but only contain moderate amounts of carbohydrates. In addition, they also have trace amounts of iron and calcium.
One of the most common uses of kidney beans is to make peppers. The deep red color matches well with the other ingredients of the dish, adding an excellent texture and flavor.
Along with chili, these red beans are a welcome addition to many casseroles, both because of its taste and color, which adds to the introduction of this dish. A quick side dish only requires canned string beans with a little seasoning, such as garlic and pepper.
These beans are also a favorite for making frozen beans and are a great condiment for Mexican-style dinners.
Best Substitute For:
Kidney beans are the best alternative to black beans in soups, stews, wraps, salads, and dips. So, from now, if there is an unavailability of black beans for any reason, use kidney beans instead of black beans.
Pinto Beans
Another famous alternative to black beans is pinto beans. These with the attractive appearance or funny spots are not only pretty to look at, but also an ingredient in many delicious dishes.
The pinto beans are easy to make and become relatively soft when cooked. When cooked, the beans have a creamy, slightly floury texture and a hearty, mild taste.
This makes them suitable for a variety of dishes, such as hearty stews, soups and salads, rice and corn dishes or patties. They are also delicious in fillings and are often used in the puree as an ingredient in burritos.
Best Substitute For:
As the best substitute for black beans, pinto beans go great in pork, casseroles, stews, salads, and wraps. Therefore, you can replace black beans with pinto beans in your favourite recipes.
Soybeans
Soybeans are real health bombs. This is because they contain a very high proportion of protein and also eight essential amino acids that humans need to build up their own protein.
In addition, soybeans contain vitamins B1, B2 and E, as well as iron and magnesium. Thus the secondary plant substances in soybeans usually have numerous positive properties.
In addition to all its nutritional values, soybeans are also the best black beans substitute. You can replace black beans with soybeans as there is no apparent difference between their flavor.
Best Substitute For:
Soybeans replace black beans in curry, soups, sauces, and salads. Therefore, you can add a new twist to your cooking without compromising the overall flavor of dishes.
Chickpeas
Chickpeas are also called chickpea seeds, and are famous for making cereals and flour. They are widely used in cooking, boiled, fried or baked recipes. Due to their high protein content, chickpeas are popular with vegan and vegetarian diets. As a result, chickpea dishes are found in the cuisines of many nations around the world.
How Do Chickpeas Taste?
Chickpeas have a slightly nutty taste. Cooked chickpeas have a floury consistency. However, the taste is rather neutral, so that chickpeas can be combined with a wide variety of foods.
In addition, their taste goes well with spicy and savory preparations, but you can also combine it with sweet ingredients. And, the great advantage of chickpeas is that they are suitable for almost any type of diet.
Interestingly, chickpeas are also a great substitution for black beans in various food recipes. And, you can add it to your dishes in place of black beans, and they would go great.
Best Substitute For:
Chickpeas replace black beans in dips, stews, and various baking products. However, they may have a mild flavor than black beans.
Lentils
When it comes to lentils, most people think of grandmother’s hearty stews. However, the legume has long since lost its dusty reputation. Since the lentil has many nutritional values and few calories, it is particularly popular with health-conscious people.
Lentils are available in different varieties with different colors and flavor. Interestingly, all its varieties are the best substitution for black beans. Even black lentils are also available in the market, which is great to replace black beans.
Best Substitute For:
Lentils go great in salads, stews, dips, and soups in place of black beans. Also, you may find a slight difference between the flavor of lentils and black beans. But, mostly, lentils replace black beans fully.
PEAS
Mostly, people associate peas with hearty stews in winter. Peas go well in a variety of dishes, from salads to purees to casseroles. There are numerous varieties of peas with different characteristics.
Field peas are slightly angular, taste sweet and tender, and are also called garden peas.
Pea Peas are smooth and round, taste less sweet (less sugar content), but slightly floury, and are also known as peas.
Sugar Peas taste crisp, very tender, and are also called sugar peas. With this variety, you can also eat the shell, and they also taste very good raw.
Taste
Freshly harvested peas have a crunchy consistency. Very young peas have a slightly sweet taste. Very ripe peas taste flourier and should therefore be steamed or blanched in salted water beforehand.
Use In Kitchen
Peas have one major disadvantage if you want to use them fresh as they are in a pod from which they first have to be removed.
Info: Of around 1 kg of peas with pods, only approx. 300 g remain peeled.
However, you should not cut the pea pod with a knife, as it could damage the peas. It is of course, more convenient if you use frozen peas or canned peas.
Peas are traditionally popular for stews, soups, purees, and casseroles and are often hearty dishes.
But more special variants such as pea salad are also quite common.
Besides all their characters, peas are also used instead of black beans. And, interestingly, almost all types of peas are best to replace black beans.
Best Substitute For:
Due to their mild flavor, peas are not the best option as black beans substitute in various food dishes. However, peas go great in salads, dips, and side condiments as a substitution for black beans.
Protein Substitutes For Black Beans
If you want to use a protein substitute instead of black beans, then don’t worry. Here, we will tell you about a few protein substitutes that you can replace with black beans. And you can make your food delicious.
Here I am going to tell you about some of the protein substitutes that you can easily find.
Soy, Ground Soy
Soy protein is a meat substitute that you can easily find in the health food section of your grocery store. It comes in a variety of shapes, and thus you can incorporate them into your regular recipes.
Whether you are trying to eat less meat in your diet or you need to save some money on your meat budget, you have an option to add soy protein to many dishes without much change in texture or taste.
In addition, ground soy is the best protein substitute for black beans in your food. And, you can easily meet your daily protein requirements using soy ground in place of black beans.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are quite versatile. They can be roasted, braised, boiled, grilled, or gratinated. Cultivated mushrooms such as mushrooms or king oyster mushrooms also taste good raw. For example, thinly sliced in a salad or marinated in vinegar, oil, spices, and herbs tastes better.
Yes, you can use mushrooms instead of black beans. Like beef pieces, you can cut mushrooms into small pieces and use them. And, mushrooms are also the best protein substitutes for black beans.
Final Words
Generally, kidney beans, pinto beans, soybeans, chickpeas, lentils, and peas are the best substitute for black beans in traditional recipes. However, if you want to prepare protein-rich food and searching for some protein substitutes for black beans, use ground soy or mushrooms.